holey shit — thirty birds

YOU HEARD IT HERE PROBABLY NOT FIRST: I GOT NOMINATED FOR THE 2021 EXPOZINE AWARDS!!!!

as you can imagine, this is rocking my world like you would not believe. i did not in my wildest dreams think i would get so much as nominated for diddly squat, much less in a category where Every Single Other nominee is part of like an actual publishing house or collective. this is wild to me. i am just a guy writing and illustrating and typesetting and then going to sleep. i would like to heartily thank the expozine award judges for putting me up there and giving me this opportunity. if i win the category’s award i will like. literally expire right there on stage.

apart from the above, what have i been up to? i know that my updating of this website and blog has been spotty at best, which again is something i swear i’m trying to work on. my day job went absolutely nuts crazy for a few months there and now it’s slowing down so i should have more time to like, work on things that i actually want to be working on. i promise.

i’ve been sewing a lot, first off— part of the benefit of working at a fabric store means i’m surrounded by fabric all day and thus inspiration. before you ask yes i am planning on writing something about sewing/handicrafts that’s part a philosophical screed and part a how to. i know. it’s been fun! i am gaining confidence at a rate that is shocking! i am going to make a pair of black corduroy overalls!

currently on the project docket, that aside, is the following (not an exhaustive list by any means, as i am the reigning champion of Biting Off More Than I Can Chew):

cookbook (YES! REALLY!)
aforementioned How To zine
“cant help myself”, a 40-page novella about violence and drugs and searching for feeling (nearly complete— i’m doing yet another round of edits right now and will be figuring out how to get it out into the world shortly)
corduroy overalls and burnt orange cowboy shirt (this’ll take a minute)
PRINTS!!! that you can BUY!!! (auughhg)
a huge fuckoff painting that’s 90% done but for some mystery final component i haven’t settled on yet
organizing a co-vernissage with another local artist (shh shh i can’t tell you who)
a few zines whose ideas i’ve had fermenting for a minute but haven’t settled on how to actually write/draw about… by a few, of course, i mean like 6, and it will take me a while to pin them down but god damn it i’m going to
applying for a canada council grant
applying, potentially, for an MFA (??!??!??!?!???!??!?!)
preparing for top surgery (yup)
sleeping i think

so yeah i’m a bit busy. lol.

i’m also likely going to be redoing this website aesthetics-wise fairly soon if i can finagle it; i’m kind of looking to do more of a web 2.0 thing that’s easier to navigate and a lot less slick than the current situation. i am dogshit garbage at doing like html or css though so i’m probably going to have to get someone else to help me with it and that involves exchanging of cash money which i do not particularly have a surplus of so this is a bit of a stretch goal. c’est la vie babey.

so yeah! that’s the business. i’m going to try and make these updates at least monthly if not biweekly moving forward especially given that twitter is currently on precarious legs and that’s my current typical choice for information dissemination. keep your eyes open for new news, is what i’m sayin. until then take it easy and stay warm and uhhh remember to eat leafy greens and probiotics for gut health.